What is Neuralink? Can Neuralink 'cure' tinnitus as Elon Musk claims?

The human brain is arguably the most complex biological structure that has ever existed. While science does not fully understand our brain, still learning about its functions, researchers in the field of neuroscience are expanding and making great progress.

Most recently, neuroscience has made significant strides in mapping the complex functions of 85 billion neurons and the 100 trillion connections between them. Neuralink is a Silicon Valley startup backed by Elon Musk that has developed a special neural chip called a "brain-computer interface". external device).

In particular, Musk claims this chip can cure tinnitus, the neurological condition that causes your tinnitus, within the next 5 years. But is this possible?

Announcement of Elon Musk.

The coin-sized Neuralink device, known as "Link" for short, is implanted into the skull by a precision surgical robot. The robot connects 1,000 tiny fibers from Link to certain neurons. Each strand is only a quarter of the diameter of a human hair. This device connects to an external computer using Bluetooth to continuously communicate back and forth.

In the future, Neuralink prosthetics could help people with different types of neurological disorders who are experiencing a disconnection or malfunction between the brain and the nerves that serve the body. This happens in people with hemiplegia, quadriplegia, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy. Since its founding in 2016, Neuralink has recruited leading neuroscientists from academia and the broad research community to develop technology to treat these conditions.

Last year, the company posted a video proof of its particular device, showing just how magical it is. The video shows a nine-year-old macaque named Pager successfully playing a game of Pong with its own mind, via an implanted Neuralink device that connects to a computer running the game.

Pager the monkey played the computer game Pong with the help of Neuralink

Pager monkey was taught how to play Pong with the joystick, with each correct move, Pager will receive a sip of banana smoothie. During play, the Neuralink implant recorded patterns of electrical activity in the monkey's brain, which helped determine which neurons control which movement. When the joystick is disconnected, Pager can play games and win with his mind alone.

Human trials to develop the Neuralink prototype are expected to begin in late 2022, subject to FDA approval.

Tinnitus is a neurological disease that manifests as tinnitus or ringing in the ears when not exposed to any external sound source. Tinnitus is now a very common problem, caused when the nerve that connects the inner ear to the brain, called the vestibular nerve, is damaged by prolonged loud noise, trauma, or a lack of power. blood supply.

A cure for tinnitus has proven elusive. Current treatment focuses on masking the sound or learning to ignore it. The Neuralink prosthesis now connects to the cerebral cortex, the surface layer of the brain. This is where the device can repair damage to the brain's ability to process sensory input or output.

Musk's claim that the device can cure tinnitus sounds grandiose, but the science is still controversial. Nerve implants have been helping people since the early 1960s when the first cochlear implant was placed in a person with hearing loss, and there have been many advances in the 60 years since.

Neuroscientists are generally still optimistic that the device has the potential to treat tinnitus. It may also be useful in treating obsessive-compulsive disorders, recovering from traumatic brain injury, and treating conditions such as autism or degenerative diseases of the nervous system using stimulants. deep brain.

Musk's claim that the device can cure tinnitus is controversial.

As Paul Nuyujukian, director of the Brain Interface Lab at Stanford University says, this kind of technology has the potential to change our treatments, not just for strokes, paralysis and degenerative diseases movement, but also for a variety of other brain diseases.

The FDA classifies Neuralink as a Class III medical device, the highest risk category. Therefore, before starting human trials, Neuralink must successfully pass FDA's stringent regulatory controls. To be approved, the company must provide sufficient clinical trial data from non-human test subjects (such as the Pager monkey in the example above) to prudently justify the claim. the move to the next important stage. In fact, several monkeys have died in Neuralink's tests, and critics have raised animal welfare concerns.

Approval for human trials is likely to take a while. Regulators will also look for unintended negative consequences of the device, such as depression. Another thing to consider is how practical it is to remove or repair a device if it fails and how to manage the risk of brain injury or infection.

Once approved by the FDA, Neuralink will need human volunteers and the next round of testing will be conducted. Perhaps many people will also guess how long this device will be on the market and how much it will cost. It can take years and at a price that puts it out of reach for everyone but the wealthy. It's best not to have false hopes for an affordable implant in the short term.